Biography

Trivia (4)

Unable to get a job when he first moved to Hollywood, he outfoxed the competition by sending out a mass mailing to production companies, informing them that they had won him in the "Jeff Copeland Clearing House Giveaway." The mailing included a Jeff Copeland paper doll for them to color and set on their desk. The gimmick paid off, earning him a production assistant position at Paramount Pictures on the TV shows "Brothers," "Hard Knocks" and the feature film "Big Top Pee-Wee." He has worked steadily ever since.

After "A Low Life In High Heels," he wrote the autobiographical screenplay "The Long Hair Depression." Madonna read the script and left her home phone number on his answering machine, expressing how much she loved the material. She optioned the property and developed it, but chose to make "Swept Away" instead.

Took a two year hiatus from television to work with Garry Shandling on the DVD bonus features for "The Best of The Larry Sanders Show," which was produced by Mirage Productions for Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

Landed a book deal just months after a producer told him he couldn't write. First professional writing assignment was the Holly Woodlawn story, "A Low Life In High Heels," which was published by St. Martin's Press and Harper-Perennial. Madonna and Harvey Fierstein expressed interest in the film rights to the book, but were unable to acquire them. The property has since been developed by several producers including Don Murphy, Jane Hamsher, Michael Zoumas and director Rose Troche.